Learn to love it!

Posted Thursday, August 2, 2007, at 7:14 PM

I remember the happiness of childhood.

As a child, I was so amazed by the little joys in life. For hours I would stretch out across a nice patch of grass and watch the clouds roll by. What amazement this activity held for me, as each cloud would resemble different things. This simple activity would entertain and brighten my day. In the winter time, my family would sit around the fire place and eat popcorn and ice cream. What a fun-filled family time!

Now that I am grown and in the "real world," these simple things in life have lost there place. With all the worries of today constantly pounding me in the face, I simply do not have the time to enjoy life. I find myself merely enduring life now days. I fear that this is the attitude of too many in our world today. Could this be the reason that so many people are unhappy as of late?

After all, what is there to be happy about when one has an attitude of endurance instead of enjoyment? I have recently began taking on a new attitude about life. No matter how busy the day gets, I will stop to enjoy it. I will take just a minute of my time while I am driving to glance at the sky and giggle at the pictures the clouds make. I will gaze out my window at night before retiring and take in the beauty of the moonlit sky. Yes, I will begin to enjoy life instead of merely endure it. There are so many miracles packed into each day, and I will take the time to notice as many as I can. I will not just live life anymore; I will learn to love it!

Rayma, I love love love reading your blogs. You have such great thoughts and I think anybody and everybody should take what you write to heart.

Since I've always believed you sincerely care what people have to say, I want to share a quick thought:

For the past couple months, my life has been a bit crazy. I got married, spent a week in Paris, moved into our apartment in a city much larger than I'm used to, got a new job in a city much larger than I'm used to, drive on roads much bigger and much busier than I'm used to, spend much more money in a month than I ever thought I'd have to, met new people I never thought I'd meet, on and on and on.

All of this, and more, has made this little happy-go-lucky dude a bit stressed and a bit "off his game" in the happiness department. It's not that I'm not happy, because I really am..I love my life, it's just taking me a while to get used to all these changes and I find myself worrying more than I am enjoying.

That all changed the other day. I was on my way to work, driving 70mph on the interstate listening to a live version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

I know this will sound odd, but that song, blaring out of my truck speakers, literally sucked all the worry out of my life. I almost felt that Art Garfunkel was singing his heart out to me when he passionately sings "Like a bridge over troubled water...I will ease your mind" at the end of the song.

He really did, too. I have been so relaxed and in such a good mood ever since that moment.

Anyway, long story short, I agree with you that people just need to find little things in life - like a song, for example - that makes them happy. And instead of ignoring that thing or playing it off, everyone should embrace those things that make their heart fill with joy and ease their mind.

Again, great post!!!

-- Posted by The Union Forever on Fri, Aug 3, 2007, at 11:05 AM

Great thoughts, Rayma! I wholeheartedly agree. Some people, including myself, sometimes let the little things get to them, or make bigger issues out of small ones. I used to be worse, but I feel as a person gets older, you learn more about patience and ways to clear your head. Trudging through a stressful life and constantly feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders is just a waste. No matter how much stress or pressure a person feels during the day, there should always be time to stop and enjoy the smaller things in life. That will get a person through it. We all endure rough days, weeks, months, and even years. We just have to figure out ways to make them enjoyable and memorable. Sometimes this is difficult to do, but sometimes you just have to stop, relax, think for a moment, find your center, and move on with your life. Life is too short to spend it worrying about what's possibly coming next or what you could have done differently. Take it as it comes and move on...there's always tomorrow!